Sir Paul McCartney, 83, announces death of loved one as he issues heartbreaking statement to ‘dear friend’
Sir Paul McCartney has paid tribute to his “dear friend” Sir Brian Clarke following the renowned stained glass artist’s death aged 71 on July 1.
The former Beatles star shared an emotional Instagram post remembering Clarke, who was described by London’s Heni gallery as the “most important artist working in stained glass”.
On Tuesday evening, McCartney shared an image to his 4.6 million Instagram followers of the two men enjoying dinner together in a restaurant.
“Brian Clarke was a dear friend of our family whom we had known for years,” the Beatles legend began in the accompanying caption.
He continued: “Sadly, he passed away recently but we all have lovely memories of the times we had together. We always laughed.
“Brian often had some great artistic endeavours to show or talk to us about.
“He made some stained glass windows for us and did a great collaboration with Linda using her photographs to make stained glass pictures out of.
“He was commissioned to make stained glass for Bahrain Airport (Concordia), Stansted Airport (a collaboration with Sir Norman Foster), and Queen Victoria Street Arcade in Leeds, and these are just some of the works he was famous for.
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“Ever since I met him in the 70s with Robert Fraser the art dealer, we always had the best times together.
“We will all miss him but have fond memories of him to cherish and his incredible artwork to remind us of Brian himself. Love, Paul.”
The tribute has prompted an outpouring of support for McCartney from friends, fans and fellow celebrities.
“Thank you for these words,” one follower replied. “Dear Brian, I did not know him as long as you did but we worked together and he commissioned a mosaic path of hundreds of thousands of pieces and assembled them together in the most beautiful narrative of George’s life. That’s what his mind was like and just the sweetest soul.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, Paul,” a second echoed, followed by a love heart emoji, before a third weighed in: “What a wonderful tribute! Rest In Peace Brian Clarke.”
And a fourth reached out to the musician: “Oh no so sorry to hear this. What a lovely human and an incredible artist.” (sic)
At the time of his death, McCartney’s daughter Mary took to Clarke’s Instagram page where the announcement was shared. She heartwarmingly replied to the image: “Brian with the best smile.”
Clarke designed the cover for McCartney’s 1982 solo album Tug Of War and created some of the world’s most prestigious stained glass installations.
His major works included the Al Faisaliyah Centre in Riyadh, the Royal Mosque of King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, and the 14-metre-high stained glass pavilion, The Stamford Cone in Connecticut.
Born in Oldham, Lancashire, in 1953 to a working-class family, Clarke’s father, Edward, was a miner whilst his mother, Lilian, worked at the local cotton mill.
He reportedly first became interested in stained glass during a school trip to York Minster and painted his first window aged 17.
The artist created personal works for the McCartney family, including stained glass windows and a collaboration with Linda McCartney.
Clarke was knighted in the 2024 New Year Honours, telling PA at the time: “I’m feeling very surprised and grateful really. It’s wonderful to get noticed for one’s work, but to get honoured for it too is really very encouraging.”
His 50-year career included commemorative works such as the Holocaust Memorial Synagogue in Darmstadt, Germany, and artwork for the Papal Chapel of the Apostolic Nunciature in London for Pope Benedict XVI’s 2010 state visit.
Heni gallery announced his death on Saturday with the statement: “A visionary artist and cherished friend, he will be missed.”
TV presenter and pianist Jools Holland also paid tribute, calling Sir Brian an “extraordinary and dear man” in an Instagram post.